Education of Exceptional Children and Youth

Education of Exceptional Children and Youth

Excerpt

The education of exceptional children under various labels and different philosophies has had a long and important history in both public and private education in the United States. At the time of the preparation of this volume, it has reached and has been accorded by general educators the highest peak in its long period of development. The early chapters of this book will trace the nature of this development and the significant characteristics of special education for exceptional children. Perhaps the period which has seen the most rapid growth and the greatest refinement of all aspects of special education has been the period since World War II. The growth in community understanding, the advances in technology, the development of teacher education centers, and the preparation of an ever-increasing number of specialist teachers has, each in its own way and together, collectively contributed to the observed and marked growth of services to exceptional children.

The purpose of this volume is to bring together the basic information regarding the education of the major groups of exceptional children in the light of the marked developments which have been referred to in the preceeding paragraphs. Since the education of exceptional children is such a diversified and complex professional area, it was felt by the editors that a team of experts could more adequately prepare this volume. No single educator can be sufficiently and authoritatively prepared to treat all facets of special education with equal skill. In selecting the contributing authors an attempt has been made to secure the cooperation of individuals who have had classroom experience with one group of exceptional children as well as those who have had advanced graduate work in special education, who have done supervisory and administrative work with special education, and who have had college teaching experience in the area of their specialty. An outstanding panel of authors has contributed to this volume.